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Southampton continue their pre-season with a trip to Turkey to play Goztepe at the Bornova Aziz Kocaoglu Stadium in Izmir on Saturday (July 15).
The Saints began their campaign with a 2-0 loss to Benfica on Wednesday. David Neres and Mihailo Ristic were among the scorers for the Portuguese outfit as Southampton's summer got off on a wrong note.
Their 11-year stay in the Premier League ended last season after they finished at the bottom of the standings to get relegated to the Championship. The Hampshire outfit won only six times in 38 games and collected 25 points in what was truly a miserable campaign.
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Ahead of their first season in the Championship since 2011, Southampton play another four friendlies. After Goztepe, the Saints are scheduled to play League One side Reading before home games to Bournemouth and Dutch team AZ Alkmaar.
They have sought to strengthen their squadwith a few signings. Derrick Abu from Chelsea, Josh McNamara and Shea Charles from Manchester City and Ryan Manning from Swansea City have been roped in.
Goztepe, meanwhile, play their first friendly of the summer. The Turkish side finished seventh in the TFF First League, the second division, last season.
Goztepe vs Southampton Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams meet for the first time
- Southampton have never played a Turkish side in a competitive game.
- Goztepe have never played in an English side before.
- Southampton are looking to pick up their first pre-season win of the summer, having lost 2-0 to Benfica in their last game.
- This is Southampton's only game outside Great Britain this summer. They played their first game in Burton upon Trent, will visit Reading next and play their last two friendlies at home.
Goztepe vs Southampton Prediction
Goztepe will look to pile more misery on Southampton, who lost their first game of the summer, but expect the Saints to make a few changes. Manager Russell Martin could field plenty of young players once again but should see of a second-tier Turkish team.
Prediction: Goztepe 0-2 Southampton
Goztepe vs Southampton Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Southampton
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No
